ASUS Lamborghini VX3 - Design & Layout
- By Abbas Jaffar Ali
- Published 2 December 2008
- Notebooks/Desktop Systems
- Unrated
You know you're in for a treat right from the moment that you press the power button the ASUS Lamborghini VX3 and hear the sound of a Lamborghini engine purring. But the experience starts with the fabulous packaging that ASUS bundle's the VX3- its almost as if you're unpacking something from Apple.
The two separate boxes- one for accessories and especially one that houses the notebook is nothing short of a collector's edition with a hard box, soft velvet interior and a magnetic latch. Inside the box, the laptop is covered by a soft-cloth sleeve. Even the Targus carrying case bundled with the VX3 looks like something you would pick up from Harvey Nichols.
The accessories box includes the charger along with two batteries (standard 3-cell and high capacity 9-cell) and a Logitech Bluetooth notebook mouse that matches the look of the notebook with a glossy black and yellow finish. I quite like the idea of ASUS bundling a Bluetooth mouse so you're not stuck with an additional dongle. A Lamborghini "Story book" is also included in that tell us about the history of the famous car manufacturer along with pictures of all its models.
Also included is a user manual along (English and Arabic) with a quickstart guide, DVDs for drivers, applications and system restore, a cleaning cloth, a cable tier and a card that tells you that the webcam is protected by a Mohs scale 9 sapphire crystal that is nature's toughest materieal sans the Diamond. Yes, you know you've arrived when you purchase a Lamborghini.
The VX3 is available in black and Yellow and luckily I received the yellow version from ASUS. The paint job on it is immaculate and as good as the one found on Acer's red Ferrari notebook. I also loved the size- measuring 30.5 x 22.0 x 3.1 cm, the VX3 is nice and small although it could definitely go on a diet as far as thickness is concerned- or maybe I'm just spoiled by my MacBook Air. The weight of 1.3Kg with the standard battery is pretty easy to carry around as well.
The beauty of the LX3 continues when you flip the lid open to reveal a leather palm rest that looks as though its been hand-stitched on the notebook. The smell of the leather makes you feels like you're sitting in a brand new car. Unfortunately, specifications and logos all around the palm rest spoil the look somewhat and if I was to buy this baby, they would be the first to go.
Specifications vise, the LX3 is a pretty well-rounded notebook that would allow you to handle any task you threw at it. It's powered by the Intel T9300 CPU running at 2.50GHz, 4GB RAM, a 320GB SATA hard drive, HSDPA support, a DVD Writer and 802.11n wireless networking along with Bluetooth. The only disappointment is ASUS' choice of GPU- the nVidia 9300M G with 256MB dedicated memory, not necessarily a Crysis friendly GPU but still better than Intel integrated graphics.
The 12.1" WXGA screen has a slightly bigger bazel than I would've liked with the 0.3MP webcam sitting on top. The keyboard is pretty decently sized for a 12" notebook and although thr keys aren't full-width, they're good enough although backlighting would've been nice. Between the keyboard and the screen, you have LEDs, the microphone and a couple of buttons that power up the device or change power profiles. The trackpad is is smooth but the buttons are slightly hard to press and between them, you have the finger sensor.
The sides feature pretty much all the connectors- three USB 2.0 and HDMI along with a WiFi switch an Express Card slot on the left, another USB and audio out with the Optical drive and the card reader on the right. The back is mainly occupied with battery and underneath that, you have the SIM card slot for HSDPA connectivity. ASUS also places the modem, networking and VGA output ports on the back. The only thing on the front is a hidden speaker which sounds reasonably loud.
The two separate boxes- one for accessories and especially one that houses the notebook is nothing short of a collector's edition with a hard box, soft velvet interior and a magnetic latch. Inside the box, the laptop is covered by a soft-cloth sleeve. Even the Targus carrying case bundled with the VX3 looks like something you would pick up from Harvey Nichols.
The accessories box includes the charger along with two batteries (standard 3-cell and high capacity 9-cell) and a Logitech Bluetooth notebook mouse that matches the look of the notebook with a glossy black and yellow finish. I quite like the idea of ASUS bundling a Bluetooth mouse so you're not stuck with an additional dongle. A Lamborghini "Story book" is also included in that tell us about the history of the famous car manufacturer along with pictures of all its models.
Also included is a user manual along (English and Arabic) with a quickstart guide, DVDs for drivers, applications and system restore, a cleaning cloth, a cable tier and a card that tells you that the webcam is protected by a Mohs scale 9 sapphire crystal that is nature's toughest materieal sans the Diamond. Yes, you know you've arrived when you purchase a Lamborghini.
The VX3 is available in black and Yellow and luckily I received the yellow version from ASUS. The paint job on it is immaculate and as good as the one found on Acer's red Ferrari notebook. I also loved the size- measuring 30.5 x 22.0 x 3.1 cm, the VX3 is nice and small although it could definitely go on a diet as far as thickness is concerned- or maybe I'm just spoiled by my MacBook Air. The weight of 1.3Kg with the standard battery is pretty easy to carry around as well.
The beauty of the LX3 continues when you flip the lid open to reveal a leather palm rest that looks as though its been hand-stitched on the notebook. The smell of the leather makes you feels like you're sitting in a brand new car. Unfortunately, specifications and logos all around the palm rest spoil the look somewhat and if I was to buy this baby, they would be the first to go.
Specifications vise, the LX3 is a pretty well-rounded notebook that would allow you to handle any task you threw at it. It's powered by the Intel T9300 CPU running at 2.50GHz, 4GB RAM, a 320GB SATA hard drive, HSDPA support, a DVD Writer and 802.11n wireless networking along with Bluetooth. The only disappointment is ASUS' choice of GPU- the nVidia 9300M G with 256MB dedicated memory, not necessarily a Crysis friendly GPU but still better than Intel integrated graphics.
The 12.1" WXGA screen has a slightly bigger bazel than I would've liked with the 0.3MP webcam sitting on top. The keyboard is pretty decently sized for a 12" notebook and although thr keys aren't full-width, they're good enough although backlighting would've been nice. Between the keyboard and the screen, you have LEDs, the microphone and a couple of buttons that power up the device or change power profiles. The trackpad is is smooth but the buttons are slightly hard to press and between them, you have the finger sensor.
The sides feature pretty much all the connectors- three USB 2.0 and HDMI along with a WiFi switch an Express Card slot on the left, another USB and audio out with the Optical drive and the card reader on the right. The back is mainly occupied with battery and underneath that, you have the SIM card slot for HSDPA connectivity. ASUS also places the modem, networking and VGA output ports on the back. The only thing on the front is a hidden speaker which sounds reasonably loud.
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